Sunday, August 11, 2013

Managing Back To School Stress and Anxiety for The Whole Family

With fall just around the corner many families begin to experience a
growing sense of anxiety over getting back into the busy school routine. The
morning rush, the homework, and the myriad of after school activities quickens
our pace of life and is a stark contrast to the quintessential lazy summer days
of no schedules or deadlines. Summer is also a time when many families
reconnect. Families take vacations, they go out for late night ice cream runs, they
go biking, and to the beach-- to name just a few of the many fun summer
activities families do together. And let’s face it--everyone is more relaxed
during the summer. Experiencing feelings
of anxiety and even sadness over transitioning from summer to fall is
understandable. Families have a lot less time in the day to be together and
along with school and fall comes added responsibility, less flexible schedules
for all and higher stress levels.

Becoming aware of situations and events that are likely to increase your
and your families’ stress levels will help to reduce stress, actively manage
anticipated stress and promote healthy coping behaviors. Learning to plan ahead in order to
better manage stress and anxiety is important since chronic stress contributes
to depression, substance abuse, and even physical illness. Starting your back to school planning
early should help with reducing stress and anxiety and ultimately result in a smoother transition from summer to
fall.

Below are a few tips to help you and your family better cope with back to school stress:-Start your fall routine at least one week before
school starts. It takes time for your body and mind to become acclimated to the
early morning school routine.

-As a family sit down and openly discuss concerns about the
up-coming school year. For example, if your child is starting a new school it
may be helpful to tour the school a few times before school actually begins.
This is also helpful for returning students.

-Manage your own anxiety and sadness. Children of
all ages and parents may experience pangs of separation anxiety.

-If possible review with your child assignments
they will have to complete in the first weeks of the school year.

-Avoid over scheduling your child. Ease back into
scheduled days. Slowly add activities as the school year progresses.

-Seek out family time that helps you remain
connected to each other. Try to set aside at least 15 minutes each day per
child to enjoy time together. Maintaining a sense of connection is not only be
a great way to be able to incorporate some of those positive and good “summer
time” feelings but feeling connected to those you love can also help relieve stress
and add love and laughter to your new year.

If you feel your family has difficulty communicating throughout the entire year, family therapy may be considered as a treatment option in order to help family members develop positive and healthy communication skills.

I want to hear
from you. How do you manage “back to school” stress? Do you have tips you can
share that have worked for you and your family? Are you struggling with the
idea of school starting?

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Finding hope is the first step

Dr. Paula Durlofsky is a licensed psychologist with a private practice in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She is dedicated to the pursuit of promoting and cultivating hope. In her practice, Dr. Durlofsky encourages people to examine the particular thoughts, feelings and behaviors that hold them back from reaching their full potential in living a life with passion and purpose.

Dr. Durlofsky’s areas of expertise include depression, anxiety, personality disorders, relational issues, grief and bereavement and issues affecting women throughout the life span. She has a special interest in the relationship between social media and psychological well-being and helps people strike a healthy balance between their virtual and real-time lives.

Dr. Durlofsky’s writings have been featured in Teen Vogue, Marie Claire, PsychCentral, Mainline Today, Mainline Health, Exceptional Parenting Magazine, and ABC 10-KXTV. She has a PhD in Psychology, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology and an advanced certificate in Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy. Dr. Durlofsky is also an avid lover of the arts and is active in the arts community. She has a BFA from the University of The Arts.

Aside from her life’s work, she enjoys being a mom of two daughters, spending time with her husband, hanging out with her girlfriends, reading classic novels and running.